How did immigration restrictions in 1924 affect the United States’ relationship with Japan?
A.
Japan had worked with the United States to allow limited numbers of immigrants, and the decision to ban all immigrants greatly offended Japan.
B.
Japan already had a strained relationship with the United States, and immigration restrictions did nothing to ease the tension.
C.
The United States continued to allow Japanese immigrants while restricting immigrants from South America, so the relationship remained on good terms.
D.
The United States was cautious of implementing too many reforms too quickly and worked with Japan to reach a deal both countries agreed on.
A. Japan had worked with the United States to allow limited numbers of immigrants, and the decision to ban all immigrants greatly offended Japan.
The answer is A. Japan had worked with the United States to allow limited numbers of immigrants, and the decision to ban all immigrants greatly offended Japan.
To arrive at this answer, one can examine the historical context and events surrounding immigration restrictions in the United States in 1924, also known as the Immigration Act of 1924 or the Johnson-Reed Act. This act limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States based on a national origins quota system.
At the time, Japan and the United States had a pre-existing agreement known as the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907, which allowed a limited number of Japanese immigrants into the United States. However, with the implementation of the Immigration Act of 1924, Japan saw this as a direct violation of the previous agreement.
The act effectively banned immigration from Japan, and this decision greatly offended Japan. It caused a significant strain on the United States' relationship with Japan during this period. Japan viewed the immigration restrictions as discriminatory and unfair treatment.
This strained relationship eventually contributed to tensions between the two countries leading up to World War II.